Subaquatic drill



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We'. D. GRANT Emme 24, Q.

SUBAQUATIC DRILL Filed Aug. 6. 192s 2 Sheets-Sham 2 Patented June 24,1930 UE'E'E WILLIAM D. GRANT, OF VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADASUBAQUATIC DRILL Application led August 6, 1928.

This invention relates to an outer casing for a subaquatic drill of thatclass wherein the drill head is secured to the lower end of acomparatively heavy drill rod which s is lifted and allowed to fall, oris driven down by steam or mechanical means7 and thus effects thecutting or smashing up of the rock or other hard material on which it isoperating.

1o Such drills are usually enclosed in a casing of circular section toabove water level and wash water under pressure Iis delivered to thedrill head through the centre of the drill rod, the detritus being blownthrough the casing a short distance above the bottom.

An alternative method is to supply the wash water into the closed casingsurrounding the drill and to remove the detritus upwards through thecentre of the drill.

The advantage of either method depends upon the nature of the rockencountered, and in certain classes of work the material refuses to befractured into pieces but pulverizes to a line mud which settles upon ornear the bottom of the drill hole and eX- tends up into the lower partof the drill casing greatly impeding the action of the drill. Y

In the method which is the subject of the present application the drillcasing is further enclosed within a larger casing which may be ofcircular, square, rectangular' or other desirable cross section andwhich is provided with a heavy shoe on the bottom end, adapted to centreupon and enter the taper hole made by the drill before it has found itscentre, the detritus produced by the drill sealing the contactingsurface at the bottom of the shoe.

This outer casing or spud is made telescopic so as to accommodate itselfto varying depths of water and the circular drill casing is axiallysecured within the lower section. lVash water under considerablepressure is r either continuously or intermittently delivered to thedrill through the hollow rod and the rock crushings and mud violentlyagitated thereby.

In order to readily remove the material produced by the operation of thedrill, an

Serial No. 297,893.

opening is made in the outer casing at any convenient height throughwhich the mud, silt and rock particles can escape. This opening may beconnected by a hose of suitable proportions to an ejector pump operaatedfrom the deck of the drilling scow, in order to remove the back pressureof the water, and thereby assist the wash water in the task of scouringout the detritus resulting from the operation of the drill.

In order to concentrate the pressure of the wash water in the casingupon the material around the drill a plunger or stopper is providedbetween the drill rod and the drill casing, which prevents such waterfrom escaping upwards and connes it to the lower portion of the drillcasing. This stopper is made adjustable upon the rod Vand can be clampedor secured thereto at any convenient height above the drill head, thusensuring the concentration of the scouring effect upon the lower portionof the drill casing.

The equipment is suspended in the usual way from suitable beams orsupports projecting from the deck of the drill scow as described inPatent No. 1,517,556 dated December 2, 1924, and may if desired beplaced in one or more of the spuds provided and used for holding theposition of the scow, the spuds thus becoming the outer casings abovereferred to. The spud may if desired pass directly through the scow andbo secured in position thereto as indicated on Figure 1 and Figure 2.

The invention is more clearly described by 85 reference to the drawingsherewith which accompany and form part of this application and in which:

F ig. 1 is a general view of a drill scow showing the equipment in usedrilling a hole in rock. l

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the outer casing retracted and the scowready to be moved.

Fig. 3 represents a vertical and partly sectional view of the inventionto a larger scale illustrating the relative position of the drill rod,plunger, inner casing and outer casing.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the plunger shown in Fig. l. u

Fig. 5 is a section ot' the inner casing taken on the line 5-5 in Fig.4.

In these drawings 7 represents the hollow drill rod, fitted at the lowerend with the drill head 8. This rod when operating has a verticalreciprocating motion in the inner casing 9 which is circular in crosssection. Surrounding the casing 9 is the outer casing 10, which may beof circular, square, or rectangular section, and the lower end of whichterminates in the heavy metal shoe 11, which is adapted to locate andsecure the lower end of the inner casing 9, and is axially perforated inorder to` allow the drill 8 to operate upon the rock 27 underneath.

The outer casing 10 is capable of being moved vertically, sliding uptelescopically inside the portion 17 which made large enough for thatpurpose. The casing 1T is slotted for the passage of thecable lugs 14and can be moved up through suitable guides in the drill scow 12. Thewhole outer casing can thus be collapsed and lifted up throughthe scow,Awhen the latter is to be changed in position.

The upper end of the inner casing 9 is also located and spaced withreference to the outer casing 1() by means of the head casting 13 and asystem of lugs 14, pulleys 15 and cables 16 is shown by which the lowerportion 10 can be extended or protruded downwards, the cable 16 beingoperated from the scow winches, or by steam, hydraulic or 'electricalmeans. The haul-back cables 18 are for the purpose of retracting thecasing l() when required and are similarly operated.

The drill rod 7 is hollow, and wash water under pressure is deliveredthrough the centre of the rod to the drill S at the bottom. This wateris confined to the lower portion of the casing 9 by means of the stopperor plug 19. The latter, shown also-in Fig. fl, consists of a centralsleeve carrying a plurality of leather or fibre washers 2() located onpins 21 and compressed by a junk-ring 22, the latter being 'iforced downby a nut 23, which compressesthe packing against the inner walls of thecasing 9. The upper portion of the central sleeve is slotted, andscrewed 'with a taper so that the nut 23 is capable of tightening upv orclamping the sleeve to the hollow drill rod 7 at any distance from thedrill 8.

The stopper 19 may alternately be secured to the inside of the casing,and the drill rod allowed to move up and down therein, the same resultbeing attained, namely, the concentration of the wash water pressureupon the lower end of the casing, and upon the mud and rock detrituswhich it is desired to remove.

The lower part of the outer casing is provided with an aperture, shownat 24, by which the rock detritus can be removed by the action of thewash water, and the action may be assisted by connecting this aperture,by means of flexible hose 25, to an ejector pump 26 of suitable type,whereby the back pressure ot' the surrounding water is removed from thebottom of the chamber, and the scouring action of the wash waterincreased.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to beprotected in by Letters Patent, is:

1. The combination with a subaquatic drill rod to which an endwisereciprocating niotion is imparted, of two cylindrical casingssurrounding said drill rod, the outer of the said casings being of thenature of a hollow column surrounding the inner casing, the said outercasing being in two parts telescopically connected and being adapted toact as a Spud in connection with an operating scow for the said drill, asusbtantial closure member between the lower extremities of the saidcas-ings and having a conical exterior whereby it tends to seat andcentre itself into the rock cavity formed by the drill, a second closuremember between the top extremities of' the said inner casing and thesaid outer casing formed with a conical recess on its upper surfacewhereby the entrance of the drill head may be self-centred below waterlevel, means for the telescopic adjustment of the said outer casing fromthe deck of the said scow, a stopper member of the nature of a slidablyadjustable stuffing box piston fitting the said inner casing and saiddrill rod whereby fluid pressure enclosed in the cavity of the saidinner tube below said stopper may be intensified by the reciprocatingaction of the said stopper, an aperture in said bottom closure memberconnected to a source of vacuum whereby the detritus from the said drillrod may be withdrawn as desired.

2. The combination with a subaquatic drill rod to which an endwisereciprocating motion is imparted, of two cylindrical casings surroundingsaid drill rod, the outer of the said casings being of the nature of ahollow column surrounding the inner casing, the said outer casing beingin two parts telescopically connected and being adapted to act as a spudin connection with and passing directly through an operating scow forthe said drill, a substantial closure member between the lowerextremities of the said casings and having a conical exterior whereby ittends to seat and centre itself into the rock cavity formed by thedrill, a second closure member between t-he top extremities of the saidinner casing and the said outer casing formed with a conical recess onits upper Surface whereby the entrance of the drill head may beself-centred below water level, means for the telescopic adjustment ofthe said outer casing from the decl; of the said scow. 3. In combinationwith a subaquatic drill rod to which an endwise reciprocating` m0- tionis imparted, a cylindrical casing surrounding said drill rod, a secondcasing of the nature of a hollow column surrounding said inner casing,the said larger casing being in two portions telescopically connected,the said larger casing being adapted to act as a spud in connection withan operating scow for the said drill, a substantial closure memberbetween the lower extremities of the said casings and having a conicalexterior whereby it tends to seat and centre itselil into the rockcavity formed by the drill, a second closure member between the topextremities of the said inner casing and the said outer casing formedwith a conical recess on its i upper surface whereby the entrance of theu drill' head may be self-centred below water level, means for thetelescopic adjustment of the said outer casing from the deck of the Saidscow, a stopper member of the nature or a slidably adjustable stuilmgbei; piston it ting the said inner casing and said drill rod wherebyfluid pressure enclosed in the cavity of the said inner tube below saidstopper may be intensified by the reciprocating` action or' 3U the saidstopper, an aperture in said bottom closure member adapted to permit thedelivery of detritus from the said inner casing. In testimony whereof Iaffix my signature.

VILLIAM D. GRANT.

